An Ultimate Guide To White Label Cosmetics Dropshipping 2022

Are you dreaming about opening your own brand and don't know where to start? Or maybe you are just dreaming and never actually plan to create a business because everything seems difficult, stressful, or expensive... There are so many things to do!

However, giving up is certainly not an option. There's a perfect solution for you - a method that can help to create a brand without taking care of storage, order fulfillment, and production. And it's called white label drop shipping.

Sounds good, right?

Let us make this even more tempting. With the right print-on-demand and dropshipping provider, you can start your own brand with literally $0 on your bank account. And that's not an exaggeration.

So, shall we get straight to business?

Let's see what all these words and phrases actually mean.

White-label product. A product that was manufactured by one company and afterward branded by another one and sold as theirs.
A fulfillment method that doesn't require you to buy products in advance and have them in stock. You just sell the product. Once you get an order, you contact the manufacturer/supplier, and they organize the shipment of the product to the end customer.
Print on demand. A business model which implies creating items on real customer demand. The seller places the mockup of the product in his online store. Once someone purchases the product, he sends a request to the manufacturer who creates a product and ships it to the customer. Very eco-friendly approach!

Dropshipping providers usually automatize dropshipping and print-on-demand processes, so you don't have to contact suppliers every time you get an order. You only take care of selling and promotion.

If the thought of having your own cosmetics brand without any worries about production and order fulfillment is not appealing enough for you, here are a few impressive statistics.

In 2020 cosmetics market was valued at $341.1B in 2020. Moreover, by 2030 it's expected to grow up to $560.50B.
Sales in the beauty industry decreased during the pandemic, however, people started to pay more attention to their skincare. 22% of women reported spending more time and money on skincare.
American women spend an average of $3,756 per year on beauty products and services.

The first thing you should do before opening a white label cosmetics business is market research. Let's dive into the cosmetics world more and see what's trending now.

As we already mentioned, people started to pay more attention to their skincare. So if you want to succeed, do not focus only on makeup products. Provide your customers with high-quality skincare for different skin types.
The clean beauty trend is here to stay, so be careful what products you choose for sale! According to the statistics from Natural Marketing Institute, about 24% of adults in the USA prefer to buy "clean" products. So it's better to find an experienced manufacturer that produces organic white label cosmetics.
Another trend you should definitely pay attention to is gender-neutral cosmetics. Many popular brands like MAC and Aesop adopted a gender-neutral approach, and you should too!

Choosing the right supplier and dropshipping provider is one of the most important steps on the way to success! Let's review some options and see what's best for you.

1. Sell.XYZ

Sell.xyz is probably the most comfortable option for dropshipping newbies since it's 100% free to use and offers organic cosmetic products from reliable manufacturers. Let's see how it works and what features it has to offer.

Sell Design Studio. It's the perfect tool for merchants who don't have any previous experience in designing. It's incredibly simple and easy to use. You can change the color of the label, place pictures on the product, and add texts in different colors and fonts. If you want to have a professional design, you can contact the Sell Design team to discuss your vision, and they will create a product mockup for you.
Integration with the most popular eCommerce platforms. You can integrate your stores on Shopify and Woocommerce with your Sell account. After that, you'll be able to publish products in your store in a few clicks and enjoy all the perks of automated drop shipping.
Manual order option. If you want to order a product for yourself or plan to sell the items in your physical store, then you can order them manually from the Sell.xyz website. You can also order in bulk.
Up to 5 sample products per month with a 30% discount. That's a perfect option if you want to try out the products before selling.
No order quantity minimums. You and your customers can order 1, 100, or 1000 items, it doesn't matter!

Overall, that's a great option if you want to test the waters. You can create a product in literally 10 minutes and immediately start selling it. No risk at all!

2. Alibaba

Many new merchants go to Alibaba when they decide to start a white label cosmetics brand. And that's understandable. Alibaba offers a drop shipping services and has a big range of suppliers. Plus, the products there are very cheap.

However, there are some things that you should think about before choosing Alibaba as your dropshipping provider.

It's not exactly easy to find a reliable supplier on Alibaba.
Usually, the manufacturing and labor standards are very low.
There might be a language barrier which can lead to misunderstandings.

If you, however, choose Alibaba as your dropshipping provider, then first read the reviews on suppliers and ask them to send you a sample of products you like. Have in mind that they can send you a product of better quality and then ship something different to your customers.

4. Blanka

Blanka is a cosmetics dropshipping company based in North America. Here's what they offer:

Wide selection of private label skincare and makeup products. That's the best thing about Blanka. Now they have more than 170+ items produced in North America.
Subscription plans. You'll have to buy a subscription plan if you want to use Blanka. The cheapest option costs $29. There's also a free plan which allows you to have only 10 unbranded products.
Integration with Shopify. Blanka has a direct integration only with Shopify stores. However, if you're on a paid plan, they will provide you with a CSV so you'll be able to add the product to your online store on other platforms.
No order minimums.

In general, Blanka is a good choice if you want to open a makeup products store. However, you cannot do anything on that platform if you don't buy a subscription. Also, keep in mind that your design options here are very limited. You can only add your logo to the product.

The next step is choosing the best platform for your shop. Even if you plan to sell in your physical store, we would still recommend having an online alternative. Here are a few options with lists of their main pros and cons.

Shopify

Shopify is a great option both for beginners and professional merchants. If you're just doing your first steps in eCommerce, you'll definitely appreciate its friendly interface.

Pros:

14-day trial. When you register your first store on Shopify, you automatically get a 14 days trial period. During this time you can try out all the features and decide if the platform is right for you.
24/7 support. Shopify has a great support team. And the best part - you won't have to wait long for a response! When you send a request through their live chat, you'll almost immediately get an answer from their support agent.
Built-in SEO options and social links. This will help a lot with store promotion.

Cons:

Paid features. Although with the subscription (starting at $29 per month) you can use all the main features of the platform, however, have in mind that you'll have to pay additionally for some premium themes and apps.
A limited number of attributes. Shopify has only 3 product attributes - size, color, and material. You can add custom attributes only through apps.

Wix

Wix is a great option for a small business. It is very user-friendly and simple. You can set up a store really quickly even if you haven't done it before. Also, it's a bit cheaper than Shopify. An eCommerce store on Wix costs only $27/month.

Pros:

Simple editing. It's really easy to build a website on Wix with its drag-and-drop tool.
A great selection of templates. Wix has more than 800 templates to choose from.

Cons:

Not flexible. If you choose one template, you cannot switch to another one without rebuilding a website from scratch. Also, if you at one point decide to move to another platform, it will be really hard to move your data from Wix.
Built-in SEO options are behind the times. If you want to build an SEO-optimized website, don't rely on Wix options.

Woocommerce

WooCommerce is an open-source eCommerce platform built on WordPress. It's the best option for merchants who already have a WordPress website.

Pros:

No subscriptions. The best thing about WooCommerce - it's 100% free.
100% customizable. You can choose from 1000 themes and customize all the sections of your store - headers, footers, checkouts, etc.
The platform is good for selling every kind of product, both virtual and physical.

Cons:

Can be used only on WordPress. Woocommerce is a plugin that can be used only on websites with WordPress hosting.
Paid extensions. Although WooCommerce is free, hosting and extensions for it are not. Many extensions require a monthly subscription. Also, you'll have to buy a domain to use it, and that can cost a lot.

And the last part, but not least - promotion! Here are a few important things to do if you want to make big bucks with your white label cosmetics business.

Define Your Target Audience

This is the first thing when creating a white label cosmetics brand. The target audience depends on the white label cosmetics products you're going to sell and the needs they can fulfill. For example, if you're selling high-quality vegan and organic white label cosmetics, then your target audience can be vegans who prefer quality products over cheap ones, and therefore have a stable income.

2 main questions that can help you identify your target audience.

What's the main problem your white label product can solve?
Who regularly faces the problem that your product can solve?

Now, depending on your brand values, price, etc, you can define your target market by the following criteria:

With a defined target audience you'll be able to create ad campaigns that will bring you, real customers.

Collaborate With Influencers

This is one of the fastest ways to get recognition on social media. But what can you do if you are just beginning your journey in white label dropshipping and don't have a lot to offer? Here are a few things.

Barter collaboration. You give influencers white label products for free in exchange for a mention in their posts/stories/reels/TikTok. Usually, micro-influencers with 1-15k followers can agree to this kind of deal. However, choose them carefully! Remember: engagement rate is much more important than the actual number of followers. You can ask influencers to show you the statistics of their account before moving further with collaboration.
Influencer event. This is a more expensive way to promote your product, but definitely more effective. With influencer events, you can get mentioned by dozens of accounts in one day and enjoy a lot of attention! That event doesn't have to be something big. You can just book a table in your favorite restaurant, make a little presentation of your brand, prepare gift boxes with your white label products for all the attendants, and then just do a little networking! Of course, in this case, you should be ready to present yourself and act as the "face" of your brand.

Quick Links:

Organize Giveaways And Contests

This is another way to get a lot of followers in a small amount of time. A lot of brands, both small and big, are organizing them. It seems really easy, however, there are a few things you should consider before starting a giveaway/contest.

Check the guidelines for giveaways of your chosen social media and follow them strictly. Violation of the rules can lead to a permanent ban, so be very careful.
Don't forget that contests and giveaways are usually regulated by the law. Check the regulations that apply in your country.
If you want to get a lot of attention, then it's better to create a few big gift bundles for 3-5 winners.

Deliver The Best Customer Support

People always remember the way you treat them. And they always come back if they feel appreciated. Here are a few ways to show the customers that you care.

Know your product. This is crucially important! You should know everything about your product - color, ingredients, and how it may affect different skin types. When you have all the information, you can make really good recommendations. Your customers will definitely appreciate that!
Don't make them wait. We know it's hard to respond instantly, especially when you're new to the white label business and handle everything alone. However, get back to your customers as fast as you can and make sure you resolve all the issues and answer all the questions.
Give them personalized service. That's what big companies lack. And you can make it to your advantage! It's especially important in the beginning when you don't have a lot of customers. Learn their names. Ask what they want to see in your product. Be honest. Don't provide robotized "answers". Be a human! You can even crack jokes if the mood of the conversation allows it.

Be Active In Social Media Communities

There are thousands of different communities/groups on social media, and you can definitely find the ones where your target audience hangs out. Here are a few things you should do there:

Build trust. Don't join the talks just to advertise your product. You're a part of the community/group. Be an active member and share your opinions on things that are important for your potential customers.
Don't do direct advertising. This is another thing that you should avoid. Don't advertise your product directly. You can do it in a very discreet way when someone asks for a tip/recommendation. Also, remember that direct advertising in this case can lead to a ban.
Create your own community. Create your own community and invite your store visitors to join. Like this, you'll be able to share important information, discuss relevant topics and build even more trusting relationships with your customers without spending a lot of money and time.

Now you can see that you don't need a lot to create a white label cosmetics brand. In the beginning, you'll just have to choose your dropshipping provider and the best platform for your store. So why not give it a try and see how it goes? Especially, when there are options that don't require any upfront investment!